Milena Velba Tennager

Christmas 2010 ... with the SLA.

Abstract

In late spring a friend not so old - who has no family - began to struggle to stand up to long . He does not feel pain, but great weakness in the legs that often has to sit.

Inquadro its temporary dysfunction in acute myalgia, but then noted that, despite treatment, accentuates their ailments.

By walking a day does not "see" a small step and falls badly stumbling. He says that he has not noticed even though he knew perfectly well that there was. And what worries me.

are not doctors, but enough for me to direct it to an acquaintance, a learned professional in spinal neurosurgery. My suspicion is that behind these symptoms there is a terrible Sla .

course, following the instructions of your doctor, is another diagnostic die, even if, for all practical purposes, immediate diagnosis would change the very essence of things.

After a couple of months, around mid-August, one must throw in the morning sponge no longer able to stand, because the effort to produce as well as an exhausting physical exhaustion of the severe pain that does not occur when he is lying or in complete rest.

And here begins his ordeal in a hospital bed.

...

Now, a few months later, he lost the first use of both lower limbs, then the left arm and is now also losing the right.

to turn around in bed, there must be people who move, and the same thing to put on a wheelchair, and to wash all those tasks that govern the daily lives of everyone, including eating.

must be assisted to eat and drink.

short, an absolute devastation.

Each week, as soon as I can, spend a few hours with him, beside his bed or a wheelchair to roam through the corridors of the hospital if she feels.

The language and the brain is still what works perfectly, even if a white froth of saliva can be seen increasingly left end between his lips and his voice fades more and more. It is also the index dell'avanzante paralysis of the mouth / digestive. To be followed by that of the lungs.

One day I visited with my mother and scolded him (positively) for his complain because the language and the head are always good .

Looking at my mother says, hopefully soon I go out of phase with that too (brain) , so they do not understand the state in which they are!

It's Christmas!

The strong, however, in these cases has a different taste, not so much of birth and hope, but of devastation / impotence and death.

And this brings me to that friend showed me years ago that religious [1] his reluctance to fully conceive of the sacrifice Son wanted from Father in history. Religious today devastated by disease.

La vita spesso è un mistero; e il mistero è una tematica che talora intuiamo, ma che non sappiamo recepire e capire totalmente.

E, come il religioso citato prima, pure noi davanti a queste situazioni vacilliamo ideologicamente sulla finalità del nostro essente.

Ci aggrappiamo talora alla fede; a una fede che davanti all’impossibilità di avere valide e logiche risposte diventa tremebonda e fragile, anche se è tenace.

Perche? Perché proprio a me (o: a lui) ?

Last year I said:

" We are all naked, naked as helpless. " [2]

And what is more naked than to be autonomous and not having to depend on all also in other basic needs and fundamental?

Being totally helpless!

Say " Merry Christmas" to them seems like a joke, because they perceive their utter impotence to the continuous physical decay. And the discomfort becomes more heinous when it is powered by our real lack of interest, while showing us what the circumstances.

Yet tonight, leaving his friend after having practiced for a long time of physical therapy rehabilitation while chatting, I told him: " Merry Christmas! See you Sunday. .

" I was naked and clothed me; sick and ye visited me ... "(Mt 25:36 ).

often necessary to clothe the helpless love and affection to a sick show you visiting with continuity, by being "born" in us an interest in him and in him an interest in the loving consideration that moves.

sincere affection brings the patient with greater willingness to overcome adversity and tenacity, because he feels his side of the people who love him and assisting him, and that anyway, even in continuous decline, which includes it is important per noi nel suo esistere: ci dona l’amore di saperlo aiutare, in quella carità fattiva che vede in lui lo stesso Gesù che dona grazia e misericordia anche nel sacrificio di nascere Uomo, prima piccolo e indifeso al freddo di una grotta per morire poi, da grande, sulla croce.

La semantica della croce, unita alla sua criptolalia, esprime perfettamente l’incedere finale umano verso quella fine naturale che noi tutti chiamiamo morte , per distinguerla dall’inizio che denominiamo nascita .

Alfa e omega: che coincidono sempre con il dolore d’entrare in un mondo e di lasciarlo.

Non tutti però sono indifesi nel fisico; alcuni lo sono anche nell’equilibrio psicofisico o nello stress quotidiano dovuto magari a delle problematiche complesse.

E quest’essere nudi spesso sfugge ai più, anche perché il pudore (orgoglio) di ognuno cerca di celare non solo la propria eventuale povertà economica, ma pure quella fisica e mentale.

Il nostro voler sembrare si sovrappone quasi sempre e esattamente con il nostro cercare d’essere: un’aspirazione contrary to the contingent reality.

A reality that we almost to hide and therefore is much more difficult to perceive physical infirmity.

The man of today have less time and space to meditate, so to think of itself and its aims: a more restricted social life which requires nearly all the frenzy our action.

And losing our time and space we also lose our being man and person, cloned into objects using other objects in every sense: rooms / houses getting smaller and reduced operating times that bring us always having to run without allowing time to reflect and really love.

And from a patriarchal world and country we have moved to a virtual communication in carrying out almost every action in daily life: virtual because we seem to share and make, but in reality all over the island more and more our be.

Conjugal love has become, pouring, usually a task to be completed in 5 minutes at the end of the day, mistaking him for the simple sexual intercourse, one for the prole o per il coniuge un servizio che si dà senza poter comunicare e condividere, e quello per i genitori o parenti un disturbo che si vorrebbe delegare ad altri.

In pratica ci appartiamo sempre più senza comunicare e senza dare e ricevere Amore , pretendendo continuamente il diritto e dimenticando il dovere.

Il diritto bisogna meritarselo (conquistarlo); perciò è fortemente congiunto al dovere.

E la tecnologia che inseguiamo ci isola maggiormente, pure alla mensa familiare, con televisori, Pc o telefonini che rob us of time that should be accorded to others in communicate : friends, family, family in need ....

Leone [3] so telling:

" I stood beside him and gave him a second company. The man was naked ... but ... I warmed. I was dressed, but did not know ... warm. " .

Quante volte vediamo la nudità altrui ma non sappiamo riscaldare l’altro e con lui noi stessi, sia che si sia pastore o pecora del gregge?

E, strano mondo, i primi ad accorrere a riscaldare Gesù appena nato furono proprio i pastori con il loro gregge di pecore o di armenti. Almeno così racconta la tradizione.

E nel riscaldarlo infiammarono pure la loro speranza in un futuro migliore, anche se assai nebuloso.

Pastori/uomini semplici che accolsero il tempo (invito) per fare visita al neonato, perché la nascita è l’inizio sempre di qualcosa: della creazione, dell’uomo, del nostro … essere (dedicarci) anche altri nella società.

E col tempo trovarono poi il loro spazio (finalità) nella storia.

È Natale!

“ lo avvolse in fasce e lo adagiò in una mangiatoia … find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger ( Lk 2:6; 12 ) .

a baby to survive, they need parents to take full care of him, helpless little being.

It is hoped that live, grow and become adult.

This is seriously ill as a baby naked all need to live.

Yet he always hopes to be able to heal, to strengthen themselves and still exist, even in the virulence of evil.

Social solidarity created hospitals, research technology and medicines, the volunteer staff who assist in many cases. This, however, does not exempt us from the social organization delegate the care of our neighbors, because the affection / love needs of the friend and relative, needs the warmth of love that only knows who's really close to .

A Christmas consumerism imposes gifts and replace them with ones who should be the gifts.

gifts often are unnecessary and are set aside and soon forgotten.

Yet much as the shepherds, the Magi brought gifts and presents, everyone according to their possibilities.

only visit the Pure is a great gift, because it gives those who receive the attention of its importance that he has in us, whether large or small.

for the patient and the nurse's visit is an immense gratification he feels person in our lives and not subject used until needed and then quickly forgotten.

The shepherds slept or watched their flocks; was late at night.

But the angel's (Luke 2.9 to 14) began quickly on the way, not driven by curiosity to ascertain the veracity of what they said, but to demonstrate their faith and gratitude to the Messiah long announced, that being present in the soul that is to accept the salvation shared with God and his people.

Salvation is not due to predestination, ma al nostro vivere nella socialità della carità , pure nel condividere con gli altri le debolezze, le difficoltà, le amarezze, il consiglio, le problematiche, il dolore, l’afflizione, lo sconforto, l’infermità … e anche la gioia. Talora pure la morte, perché anche questa è un atto della vita.

È Natale!

E lo è per tutti, perché è speranza di salvezza.

Lo è per chi crede e for those who do not believe, especially if our witness will give light to our lives in giving ourselves to others in need.

The gift is a testimony and the testimony is to be close to someone, especially if he suffers or is temporarily helpless.

An infant is helpless and without their parents perish, but he is also an adult when the physical disability makes it need the help of others in his necistà total.

And the presence of solidarity is warmth and comfort, giving to the recipient and gives hope for a future, even if the physical degeneration is unstoppable.

The theophany of the Nativity emphasizes that we must pay attention to another.

The shepherds walked quickly to search for the child, without the slightest question asking if they had been accepted or rejected on their relative social importance.

The possible "No!" Was not their problem, because nell'incamminarsi had already made available: they gave it all to themselves.

Often in my life I found myself faced with catch procedural, as a rule of others, to solve them I knocked on many doors, too often getting the "No".

am of the opinion that a denial is the order of things, respecting the roles and the availability of social and cultural development of each. This I have never offended him, the negative response has "demonstrated" the real value of the other: its individualism and selfishness, as well as, very often, his boundless pride that prevented him from playing this game.

However I have always claimed that this refusal was motivated because I have always sought legitimacy in the social and ethics, as well as in the possibilities of the person requested. And, refraining from judging, I "understood" the reasons of others, perhaps not sharing them: that is, his being a man and person, culturally different from me and those in need at that moment was.

If the requested aid is denied, the respondents demonstrated his "social" on, so, for a Christian, its availability or lack of charity towards each other.

It arose a sweetened personal dichotomy: legally correct, morally questionable.

Credo che il dare aiuto a chi è nella difficoltà – e per aiuto ci sta pure il consiglio nel dialogo – sia un dovere sociale del cristiano.

L’aiuto non è solo quello materiale/economico e spazia in ogni campo, specie là dove il soggetto si trova momentaneamente in difficoltà, perciò pure nella malattia invalidante, talora anche psicologica.

Perché quello che ad uno è biologicamente (in forza o in intelletto) negato, può essere consentito ad un altro.

Aiutare è spesso capire, understand and enter into the lives of others, if accepted, giving the love that can be on different steps: solidarity, philanthropy, charity.

Because, ultimately, equality is the be all the same despite the diversity that distinguishes us. A diversity that is never a limitation, but added value and balance in a modern society, even and especially in the disease.